Two North-East men who tried to smuggle more than 2.6 million contraband cigarettes into the country were jailed today.

Former fitness boss Carlo Citrone, 38, was locked up for two years and long-time business associate William Howard, 41, was sentenced to 12 months.

Judge George Moorhouse told thm: "You both know from your experience of life that people who commit an offence of this kind have to accept it justifies a custodial sentence."

Teesside Crown Court heard how Citrone was the mastermind behind the plan, and recruited haulage company boss William Howard to transport them to the North-East for storage.

But their scam was uncovered when the true contents of their shipment from Cambodia - said to be the belongings of a fictional person who was moving home to Northumberland - was found in Southampton.

A surveillance operation was set up by customs investigators and the crates of Crown brand cigarettes were delivered to Howard's warehouse in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, in March 2002.

Citrone, of Warren Lea, Springwell Village, Gateshead, and Howard, of Northside Close, Middridge, County Durham, had denied evading £413,587 in excise duty but were found guilty last month after a nine-day trial.

They returned to court yesterday to be sentenced, and to hear their barristers plead with Judge Moorhouse for leniency.

Paul Cleasby, defending Howard, described him as "a man who has previously been able to hold his head up high in the community" and handed three references to the court.

Mr Cleasby said father-of-two Howard started work at the age of 12 and has spent the last seven years building up his haulage business which now employs seven people.

"Custody will hit him hard," said the barrister. "It will have a huge impact on his loyal wife and also his dependant children.

"In addition, it will have a huge impact on the firm he runs and the families of those he employs."

Christopher Mitford, for Citrone, said his client accepted he would be jailed but said neither men had profited from the scam and both stood to suffer heavy financial loss when the duty is recovered from their assets in the next six months.

"There was little in the way of sophistication and complexity in relation to the activity," added Mr Mitford. "This was one simple importation.

"No-one's trust has been abused, no-one has been used, no children and no vulnerable people have been involved in this matter."